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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25501582">wonders bright</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/wholesome_gay/pseuds/wholesome_gay'>wholesome_gay</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Confessions, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Hogwarts Era, M/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marijuana, Mutual Pining, POV Remus Lupin, POV Sirius Black, Sharing a Bed, Summer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:29:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,149</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25501582</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/wholesome_gay/pseuds/wholesome_gay</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sirius spends a few weeks at the Lupins' place during the summer after sixth year.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sirius Black/Remus Lupin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>252</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Title from "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!" by Sufjan Stevens</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sirius shoved his entire wardrobe of muggle clothing into his bag. It wasn’t much, but he didn’t like to wear robes in the summer, a habit he probably picked up from Remus, who he was going to see.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Potters were on holiday in India, as was their annual tradition. Sirius had been invited to go with them, and though he generally felt pretty much a part of the family (this being his second summer there after his exile from the House of Black), he was certain that he would feel like an intruder on a family vacation. He’d written as much to Remus, with whom he’d been exchanging letters almost daily. Remus had written back with an invitation: </span>
  <em>
    <span>why don’t you come stay at my place, then? </span>
  </em>
  <span>So now he was packing for a fortnight at the Lupin residence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Lupins lived in the countryside—in Somerset, specifically. Sirius had only been to their house twice, both times for no more than a day, and not since before the incident at the end of fifth year. So it wasn’t unreasonable for him to be a little nervous. He never would’ve admitted that to James, but James had left this morning, and either didn’t notice that Sirius seemed a bit on edge or was kind enough not to mention it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was supposed to arrive at 2:00 and it was already half past 1:00. Somehow, he still hadn’t showered or eaten anything that day. Of the two, he decided showering was definitely the more important. As he was washing his hair with Fleamont’s hair potion, which James refused to use out of principle (although Sirius personally thought he would benefit from it), he huffed out a laugh, remembering the next two lines in Remus’s letter: </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sure my mother would love to have you. She has a soft spot for stray puppies. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And that was the end of thinking about Remus while in the shower, because it had to be. He turned the shower knob almost all the way to the cold side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This invitation from Remus didn’t necessarily mean anything. In fact, more likely than not, Remus was just being a considerate friend. He knew that Sirius didn’t do well when alone for long periods of time, or with his family, which was the same thing, really—he never felt more alone that he did at home, and when he was actually alone, it felt like his family had followed him in his head, so. This was another thought he would never share with James. Remus, maybe. He was more understanding of a mind that didn’t work the way it was supposed to. James and Peter, while not unkind about that sort of thing, seemed unable to relate. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sirius quickly towel dried and finger combed his hair. He threw on pants, his Led Zeppelin t-shirt, and his jeans with the least tears. He put his wand in his pocket and tucked a toothbrush and toothpaste into his bag. The grandfather clock in the hall showed that it was nearly a quarter to 2:00. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He paced the sitting room to pass the time. He should have been hungry, but he wasn’t. The thing was, interactions with Remus had taken on a different tone in the past term, and Sirius was almost certain that it wasn’t just wishful thinking. The problem was that he would pay a high price for acting on this belief if he was wrong. So, what he’d determined was that it would be best just to play it by ear instead of immediately going with his first impulse like he usually did. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The clock chimed, playing the melody of the first song on side two of Queen’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>A Day at the Races, </span>
  </em>
  <span>since that’s what was stuck in Sirius’s head. Sirius grabbed his bag, rushed outside, and cast the protection spell the Potters used to keep out unwanted guests. Then, he took a deep breath and apparated into the Lupins’ front yard.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sirius strode up to the faded blue front door. Before he had a chance to knock, Remus opened the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re late,” Remus said. He had about twice as many freckles as when Sirius had last seen him, a month ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No I’m not,” Sirius replied, miffed. “I’m exactly on time.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Potters’ clock is slow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe your watch is fast,” Sirius retorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus smiled broadly and Sirius checked the impulse to hug him. “It’s good to see you,” Remus said, and then led Sirius inside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was cooler in the house than outdoors. It smelled slightly dusty with a floral note. There was dried lavender in a vase on the living room coffee table. The dusty scent probably came from the many books in the cases that lined one of the walls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mr. Lupin entered the room from the kitchen. "Hello, Sirius," he said, clapping him on the shoulder. Sirius thought this was a bit overly familiar, but it seemed like a good sign, so he took it in stride.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are you, Mr. Lupin?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quite alright, and no need to be so formal. Lyall is fine.” He smiled and adjusted his glasses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sirius couldn’t imagine his parents ever allowing his friends to address them by their first names, or at all, really.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus sat down on the couch and Sirius continued to stand, putting his hands in his pockets. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Remus said you’ll be staying with us for two weeks,” Mr. Lupin—Lyall—said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If it’s not too much trouble,” Sirius responded, glancing at Remus for reassurance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus smiled mischievously. “Careful, Da. Sirius will have you believe that he’s this polite and well-behaved all the time, but he spends more hours in detention than any of us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mr. Lupin laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sirius felt a bit betrayed. “The last prank we pulled was </span>
  <em>
    <span>your </span>
  </em>
  <span>idea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus shrugged, unbothered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, to be young and reckless,” Lyall said, then turned on his heel and made his way into the kitchen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus jumped up from the couch. “Let’s put your bag in my room.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sirius followed Remus up the stairs, which creaked pleasantly. It was warm in Remus’s room; he opened the window with a flick of his wand. All of the surfaces in his room—his desk, his dresser, the bookshelf—were littered with an assortment of books, parchment, those muggle writing devices—pens—and various odds and ends. The floor was clean and the bed was made in a half-hearted sort of way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sirius dropped his bag on the floor and examined the collection of photos, muggle and magic alike, that Remus had pinned to his corkboard. Most were of James, Peter, and Sirius, and there were a few of Remus with his parents.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m afraid we don’t have a guest room, so you’ll have to sleep on the sofa downstairs.” Remus rubbed the back of his neck. “Or you can have the bed and I’ll take the sofa.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is the sofa comfortable?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus shrugged. “It’s alright.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t we just share the bed then?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus looked at him, eyebrows raised. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sometimes, Sirius couldn’t believe the things that came out of his own mouth. Most of the trouble he’d gotten himself into was because he said things he shouldn’t have. “We could use an extension charm,” Sirius offered, like that made it any better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Remus said, expression unreadable.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Sirius was sitting down to eat supper with the Lupins—which had been prepared by both of his friend’s parents, a joint effort—he couldn’t help but notice how healthy Remus looked. His skin had a nice warm tone to it, his eyes were bright, and he didn’t look tired and stretched thin like usual. Sirius couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Remus look so well. It eased something tight inside of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How has your summer at the Potters’ been?” Mrs. Lupin asked him, passing a bowl of salad and smiling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excellent.” Sirius served himself from the bowl. “James and I bought an old motorbike from a jumble sale. It doesn’t work yet, but we’re pretty sure we can charm it to drive without petrol.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus tucked a smile into the corner of his mouth and shook his head. He’d already heard about this from Sirius’s letters. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds dangerous,” Mrs. Lupin remarked. Her tone wasn’t disapproving or even concerned; it was amused, like this was exactly what she had expected of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll wear a helmet,” Sirius lied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’d better, as well,” she said, nodding toward Remus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won’t be riding any motorbikes, Mum,” Remus scoffed, cutting his chicken into bite-sized pieces.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, we believe you,” Mr. Lupin said, and then winked at Sirius conspiratorially. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sirius hoped that Mr. Lupin was right. It was hard to say; sometimes Remus could be persuaded, sometimes not. It was always worth a try. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After supper, the four of them settled into the sitting room to watch telly. Sirius crossed his arms and tried not to appear as wholly fascinated as he was. Purebloods were idiots to think that Muggles were inferior in every way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The program they were watching was about a wizard (of sorts) who was called a doctor who traveled through time using a telephone booth. He couldn’t follow the plot at all, but it was entertaining nonetheless, and the Lupins’ seemed to be fond of it, so he was just glad to be a part of something. There had never been a time when his family had sat down together with the sole purpose of enjoying one another’s company. </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>After Remus’s parents went to bed, Sirius followed Remus up to his room. Remus opened a drawer in his nightstand, took something out, turned to Sirius and said, “I’ve been tinkering with the map.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really,” Sirius said, sitting down on the bed and taking the map when Remus handed it to him. Remus had written to James about a week ago requesting that James stop hogging it. James liked to keep a hold of it because it was his idea (or so he claimed). Sirius convinced James to give the map to Remus for the next month, because James hadn’t been doing anything with it since the term ended and Sirius was inclined to give Remus what he wanted. “What did you do?” Sirius frowned at the parchment in his hands, which was blank.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus sat down beside him. “I added a security feature.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like a password?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly like a password.” Remus tapped the parchment with his wand and said, “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Words bloomed on the page in Remus’s sinuous handwriting: </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>are proud to present</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>THE MARAUDER'S MAP</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s brilliant,” Sirius said, grinning. He traced the letters of his nickname with his finger, thinking that it would make a good tattoo. He took his eyes off the map to find Remus looking pleased with himself, a rare occurrence. Sirius bit the inside of his cheek to distract from the urge to kiss him right then and there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Turns out good things can happen when James isn’t sleeping with this under his pillow,” Remus remarked, fortunately not able to read Sirius’s mind. Or unfortunately?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good things tend to happen when something’s in your hands,” Sirius added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus shrugged and smiled, back to his usual modest self. “I don’t know about that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They spent the next few hours playing a very intense game of chess (Muggle chess, which put Sirius at a disadvantage and that’s the only reason he lost). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Remus left the room to brush his teeth, Sirius took off his shirt and jeans. Even with the window open and a cooling charm, it was still quite warm inside. Sirius wasn’t really tired, but Remus was ready to go to bed, so Sirius figured he might as well try to sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned off the electricity in the way he’d seen Remus do and conjured a tiny, glowing orb to hover near the ceiling, since there weren’t any street lights outside to illuminate the room. Then he cast an extension charm on the bed, as he’d said he would. With that, the bed filled up most of the room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sirius lay down on the side of the bed that was against the wall. When Remus returned, he suddenly felt self-conscious about how little clothing he had on. This was how he slept at Hogwarts during the warmer months, but the context was different, so maybe-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then Remus took his shirt off, too, so Sirius stopped worrying about it and instead fixated on how close Remus’s body was to his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goodnight,” Remus said, and turned on his side so that he was facing away from Sirius. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Night, Moony.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even by the time Remus’s breathing had evened out, Sirius was still wide awake. Remus had shifted to lying on his back, so Sirius watched the rise and fall of his chest until his eyes started to feel heavy.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sirius.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sirius grasped the sheets tightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sirius,” Remus said again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sirius opened his eyes to complete darkness; the orb he’d lit earlier must have gone out. He was covered in a cold sweat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re kicking me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, hell. “Sorry.” Sirius moved so that he was pressed up against the wall, as far from Remus as possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S’alright.” Within seconds, Remus was snoring lightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sirius rubbed his eyes and tried to shake off the recurring dream that he was locked in his bedroom at Grimmauld Place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t gotten much sleep by the time morning came around.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry this took SO LONG.</p><p>moonynpadfootforever.tumblr.com</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When Remus woke up, Sirius was already out of bed and nowhere to be seen. This was to be expected; Sirius was, usually, both a night owl and an early riser. How he managed to function on so little sleep was a mystery.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Remus wondered if the pillow Sirius had slept on smelled like him. He brought it to his face; it did. Remus hugged the pillow and considered going back to sleep, where he could potentially snog dream-Sirius instead of facing the dilemma of how to entertain real-Sirius for the next two weeks. Remus was trying to prepare himself for the possibility that Sirius might get bored and leave after a few days. Television would get old soon enough.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Remus acknowledged the heavy scent of bacon in the air and decided that getting up was worth it after all. He pulled on a clean t-shirt, combed his fingers through his hair, and tried not to dwell on the weight and warmth of Sirius in the bed beside him during the night.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Remus brushed his teeth and made his way downstairs. He found a strange sight in the kitchen: Sirius standing by the stove, frowning in concentration as he turned over a strip of bacon. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mum, why have you given Sirius an opportunity to burn the house down?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Remus’s mum was at the kitchen table, reading a book and drinking tea. “He offered to cook,” she said with a smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good morning to you, too,” Sirius countered. His hair was still damp from his morning shower. It was just past his shoulders when wet, and Remus imagined how it would feel to touch at least once a day. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t know how to cook,” Remus told him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t know that. Euphemia has taught me a few things.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Remus turned the electric kettle on. “She uses magic, so that doesn’t count.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, it does,” Sirius protested. “And anyway, I’m not using magic right now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t burn my breakfast,” Remus said, poking Sirius in the lower back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius flinched in surprise at the contact but quickly regained his composure. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Be nice to our guest, Remus,” his mum teased.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you insist.” Remus poured boiling water into a cup and added a teaspoon of Earl Grey. He took a loaf of bread from the pantry - sourdough, which wasn’t Sirius’s favorite, but it was all they had - and started slicing it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The three of them had a peaceful breakfast together, and the food wasn't even burnt. Sirius did burn his fingers, but luckily Remus’s mum had a good salve for such situations (i.e. those involving overconfident purebloods in the kitchen). </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Afterwards, Hope went off to work at the library in town, but not before giving Remus a knowing smile that he pretended not to notice. His father was already at the Ministry, so that meant Remus and Sirius were alone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Remus set a thorough washing charm on the dishes, then turned to Sirius, who was balancing his chair on its two back legs. “Well, what do you want to do now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius shrugged and let the chair drop forward onto all four legs. “Doesn’t matter. You can just do whatever you normally do and I’ll keep you company.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What, and have you bored to death while I read or pull weeds from the garden?” Remus leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms, unappreciative of Sirius’s attitude. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I like watching you read,” Sirius said, folding a napkin into a paper airplane. That was something Remus had taught him how to do.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Remus snorted. “Right. Let’s go for a walk into town then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whatever you say, Moony.” Sirius gave him a quick smile, then wordlessly charmed the napkin into flight around the room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Remus was continually impressed by Sirius’s ability to cast spells silently, but he did his best not to show it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It took three quarters of an hour to walk to town. Sirius followed close behind him, first as himself and then as Padfoot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you get in trouble with the Ministry because a muggle sees you transform, I won’t come to your trial,” Remus said, pretending to be cross. It didn’t really matter. They’d only seen one other person - his neighbor, Mrs. Hill - and she was half-blind, anyway. Remus was just glad to have Sirius beside him, honestly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Padfoot licked at his ankle, exposed by his cuffed jeans.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Behave yourself,” Remus said, attempting a stern tone. But he was pretty sure that Sirius could see how he was trying not to smile. Sirius wasn’t often able to guess what Remus was thinking, but after six years of pranks and illegal magic and sleeping in the bed across from him, Sirius was adept at reading his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius transformed back. “As a guest at the esteemed Lupin estate, I promise to be on my very best behavior.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Remus rolled his eyes, but didn’t shrug Sirius off when he slung an arm around Remus’s shoulders.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They got fish and chips for lunch. Sirius insisted on paying, threatening to hex Remus if he declined. When Remus asked where on earth he’d got muggle money, Sirius simply winked, effectively ending the line of inquiry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There wasn’t much to do in town, but Sirius found muggle life interesting and quaint, so Remus let Sirius wander from thrift shop to bookstore to record store.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius flipped through the albums carefully, as though looking for something in particular, although he couldn’t have named more than five muggle artists. Remus eyed the new Fleetwood Mac album that he certainly couldn’t afford. Suddenly it was in Sirius’s hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s buy it. We can have a listen together.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I doubt you’d like it,” Remus told him, but Sirius was already retrieving paper money from his pocket and making his way toward the counter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was well past noon by the time they made their way back home. Their final stop along the way was his friend Ryan’s place - well, “friend” was a bit generous. He was an acquaintance at best. But as Remus had hoped, Ryan was in possession of a certain something, so Remus spent all (which wasn’t much) of his pocket money on a small jar with green contents. Sirius was a bit irritated by the whole exchange until Remus explained to him that smoking this particular plant made one feel like they were drunk. Naturally, Sirius perked up at that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They spent the rest of the afternoon in Remus’s bedroom, getting high and listening to </span>
  <em>
    <span>Rumours </span>
  </em>
  <span>as their sweat dried in the breeze they’d conjured. It was the happiest Remus could remember being in a long time.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sirius liked the feeling of being high, especially being high in Remus's room with Remus, but he was glad it started to wear off by the time the Lupins got home. He already wasn't sure how to act around them, and Remus clearly didn't want his parents to know what they'd been smoking. With a few deodorizing spells, Sirius was pretty sure they'd go undetected. Pretty sure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Lupins ate dinner together every night, which was not a family tradition Sirius had ever experienced, even with the Potters. Sirius managed to contribute intellectually to the conversation </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> make everyone at the table laugh, so he considered it a success. Unfortunately, the dishwashing spell he cast afterwards broke a plate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sirius tensed and waited for someone to yell at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's alright, love," Hope told him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mr. Lupin cast a quick </span>
  <em>
    <span>reparo. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>And that was all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he and Remus were getting ready for bed, Sirius offered to sleep on the couch. "Since I kicked you in my sleep," he said, trying to undo a particularly stubborn knot in his hair so as not to focus on Remus's response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Did you? I don't remember." Remus squeezed toothpaste onto his toothbrush. Unlike the bathroom in their dormitory, this one was very small, and their shoulders kept bumping together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Sirius found himself next to Remus for the second night in a row. He spent at least an hour after lights out staring at Remus's bare back and fighting the urge to rest his hand on Remus's shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Time at the Lupin household was slippery. Already, a week had passed since Sirius arrived. James had written once, obviously checking in on him, and Sirius appreciated it even though he hated that James felt like he had to look after him. Sirius wrote back a short letter that he hoped was enough to reassure James he was fine and not invite any questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Today was a stiflingly hot summer day, so they opened the windows, cast cooling charms, and spent the afternoon downstairs. After a game of Gobstones, Remus went up to his room for a moment and came back down with a book in his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s that?” Sirius asked, unable to read the cover at the angle Remus was holding it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A book,” Remus replied, sitting on the opposite side of the sofa.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, I can see that,” Sirius said lightly. “I was wondering what book it was specifically.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus propped the book up on his knees and opened it to a dog-eared page near the middle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s called ‘Maurice,’” Remus said. He was looking at the book but his eyes weren’t moving at the speed they usually did when he read. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fascinating.” Sirius drummed his fingers on the arm of the sofa. He waited for Remus to offer more information, but all he did was unbend his legs slightly so that his heels were pressed up against Sirius’s thigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus turned a page. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sirius tried to discreetly wipe away the sweat on the back of his neck. There was an insistent buzzing sound that he couldn’t identify the source of. “What is it about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A university student who falls in love with his classmate, Clive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This wasn’t of particular interest to Sirius until he considered that Clive was a very unlikely name for a female character. The buzzing stopped and Sirius noticed a wasp crawling along the windowsill. “Is it any good?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus folded and unfolded the corner of the page. Finally, he looked at Sirius and said, “Depends on what you’re into.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sirius had no idea how to reply to that. It was likely that this was just an insignificant book Remus had been reading before Sirius arrived and had picked up this afternoon because he was bored. There was also the distinct possibility that Remus was fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>flirting </span>
  </em>
  <span>with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Later, Sirius decided that couldn’t have been the case, because Remus spent the rest of the day acting rather aloof, like he was preoccupied or maybe tired of Sirius’s company.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The weather was cooler the next day, although still sunny, and Remus suggested a walk through the nearby woods. There was no trail, but he seemed to know where he was going. Sirius followed a few steps behind, stepping over tree trunks and around muddy puddles, trying to think of something interesting or meaningful to say that would draw Remus out of his shell. There were only six more days before he’d return to the Potters and he didn’t want to leave with Remus acting quieter and more distant than when he’d arrived. Maybe Sirius had outstayed his welcome; maybe Remus couldn’t wait for Sirius to go. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The full moon was in eight days; Sirius wanted to be there more than anything, but it would be nearly impossible for him to join Remus in the basement without his parents noticing. At first Remus was amused by Sirius’s ideas of how to sneak in, but he quickly became cross, so Sirius dropped the topic and made a mental note to send Remus something special from the bakery by the Potters’ the day after. Remus’s countenance had lost some of the summer warmth it had only a week ago; Sirius wasn’t sure if it was something he had done, or simply the time of month.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It became clear that what Sirius thought was the sound of wind through leaves was actually the sound of running water. A few minutes later, they walked up to a creek running between the trees. Remus sat down on a boulder and took his shoes off, then his socks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Going for a swim?” Sirius asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not quite.” Remus rolled up the cuffs of his jeans and, perched on the edge of the rock, put his feet in the water. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sirius sat down next to Remus - maybe too close, or not close enough - and took his Dr. Martens off. They were dirty and scratched from trekking through the countryside; Sirius thought it added a certain </span>
  <em>
    <span>je ne sais quoi</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He peeled off his socks - which belonged to James, unfortunately, as none of his own had been clean when he was packing - and lowered his feet into the stream. It was colder than he expected. He considered splashing Remus. Remus would react in one of two ways: either he would laugh and tackle Sirius into the creek, or he’d cast a drying spell on himself and look at Sirius like he wasn’t sure why they were friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you thinking about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus shrugged and swung his legs back and forth through the water. “Nothing of interest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was untrue, because Sirius was always interested in what Remus was thinking, even though Remus was not often interested in telling Sirius what was on his mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What Sirius wouldn’t give for Remus to open up to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A woodpecker drilled into a tree somewhere nearby. Remus was watching the minnows swimming in a little pool to his right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe Sirius had to open up first. After all, didn’t Remus deserve to know?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got to tell you something,” he found himself saying, suddenly hyper-aware of the sweat on his forehead, upper lip, and neck. He wiped his face with the back of his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright.” Remus wasn’t looking at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In spite of all the times he’d imagined confessing his feelings to Remus, he’d never settled on the words. “I love you” was impossibly heavy; “I fancy you” was too shallow. If he said anything at length, he might never stop talking. Merlin. There was no easy way to do this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fuck it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sirius reached out and put his hand on Remus’s cheek; Remus turned to him, bewildered. Sirius tried to keep his breathing slow and even. He ran his thumb along Remus’s bottom lip, and Remus’s mouth fell open. Sirius leaned in towards Remus, closing his eyes, and-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus put his hand on Sirius’s chest, pushing him gently but firmly away. Sirius’s stomach dropped. He opened his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you think this is a bad idea?” Remus asked quietly, looking wary but not disgusted, at least.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Sirius said. He felt like he was floating above his body, watching the scene unfold. “I think this is a good idea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm.” Remus chewed his lip. “By that do you mean you thought of it two minutes ago and it seemed fun?” There was something hard in his eyes, in the downturned corner of his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually,” Sirius said, voice breaking like he was fourteen again, “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, and I think it could be good for both of us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was clearly not what Remus expected him to say. He was frowning like nothing Sirius said was making sense. “What makes you think that?” His hand was still on Sirius.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It feels right,” Sirius told him. Then, less sure, “Doesn’t it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus looked away, and when he looked back, his expression was softer. “That doesn’t mean it would be easy. Or that it wouldn’t… fall apart.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sirius couldn’t come up with a good argument against that, but he had to try. “Well, everyone has to take risks sometimes, or they’ll never get anywhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus wasn’t convinced. Sirius didn’t blame him. All of the times he’d pushed Remus too far and it had ended badly were running through his mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s up to you,” Sirius said. Could Remus feel how quickly his heart was beating? “Whatever you want, Moony.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asking Remus to want him was asking a lot. Too much. Remus removed his hand from where it rested. That’s it, it was over, he’d fucked up-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus put his hand on the back of Sirius’s neck and pulled him in, and they were kissing. The wave of relief Sirius felt was so strong that he wanted to cry. Remus’s other hand combed through Sirius’s hair. This was an affirmation that what Sirius believed about himself was true - and not only that: it was true for Remus too. He’d never felt so free. Sirius kissed Remus’s cheek, his nose, his neck. He could taste the sweat on his skin. When Remus slipped his hand under Sirius’s shirt, he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That tickles,” Sirius admitted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know you were ticklish.” The smile that appeared on Remus’s face was gorgeous and not to be trusted. Before Sirius had a chance to defend himself, Remus got both hands under his shirt and attacked. In a desperate act of retaliation, Sirius shoved Remus off the rock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time they made their way back to the Lupins’ house, Sirius was soaking wet, breathless, thoroughly kissed, and wildly happy. Sirius grabbed Remus’s hand; Remus didn’t let go once on the walk home.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I may continue this as a series - I have a lot of ideas about how their relationship progresses from here. :)</p><p> </p><p>  <a href="https://moonynpadfootforever.tumblr.com">my tumblr</a></p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I was planning on writing this as a one-shot, but I thought it might help keep me motivated if I posted it as a chaptered fic. Sorry this first chapter is so short! Although I can't promise that the others will be any longer. :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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